We are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Northleach with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Northleach lawyer, but the lender says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no option but to select one of the lender panel firms or retain our Northleach conveyancer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Northleach conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

In scouring mumsnet.com for a conveyancing solicitor in Northleach, most post that I must use a CQS kitemarked solicitor. What is CQS?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * compliance with prudent and efficient conveyancing processes through the scheme protocol Membership covers many companies who carry out conveyancing in Northleach.

We are 17 days into a residential purchase having been recommend to solicitors by the selling agent to perform conveyancing in Northleach. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

A conveyancer would need to be really bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your mortgage offer been sent? If so you will need to inform them of the new contact details and have the loan are re-issued. Your new solicitor ideally needs to be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid added expenses and frustration. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool can help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your home move in Northleach

I have recently realised that I have Fifty years remaining on my lease in Northleach. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. In some cases a specialist may be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Northleach.

I own a ground floor flat in Northleach, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2002. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Northleach with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2076

With 52 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Northleach.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you discharge the invoice as normal given that all ground rent and maintenance payments will be apportionedon completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially